Life saving escape chute

ABSTRACT

The fire escape chute for a building comprising an elongated metal chute having a plastic covering curved over top thereof. The plastic covering engages the metal chute along the edges thereof to prevent entrance of smoke.

United States Patent 1191 1111 3,910,377 Zamorski Oct. 7, 1975 [54] LIFE SAVING ESCAPE CHUTE 1,134,468 4/1915 Lemons 182/48 2 I751 Inventor Theodore lamorski, Elizabeth, i322??? 311333 523% 132/33 2,581,778 1 1952 Young 138/163 [73] Assignee: Lawrence Peska Associates, Inc.,

New York 1 a part Interest Primary Examiner-Reinaldo P. Machado [22] Filed; Aug, 3, 1974 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Jack D. Slobod Appl. No.: 495,583

US. Cl 182/48; 182/48 Int. Cl. A62B l/20 Field of Search 182/47, 48, 49; 138/157,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1882 Taylor 138/163 ABSTRACT The fire escape chute for a building comprising an elongated metal chute having a plastic covering curved over top thereof. The plastic covering engages the metal chute along the edges thereof to prevent entrance of smoke.

6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures LIFE SAVING ESCAPE CI-IUTE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The field of the invention relates to fire escapes and particularly the chute type which are very often tubular in construction. The background of the invention includes apparatus such as shown in Potter, US. Pat. No. 1,950,996 issued Mar. 13, I934. The apparatus disclosed therein includes a fire escape having at least two main tubular sections with means connecting them to form a tubular chute. The problem with such prior art structures known heretofore concerns the use either of open chutes which were prone to collect a substantial amount of dirt that impeded the normal use thereof and which were alarming to the user who found it difficult to feel confident that he would not be ejected over the top thereof. Covered chutes that have been known heretofore have been ugly in appearance and presented a dark forboding aspect to the person contemplating the use thereof.

Accordingly. it is the primary object of the invention to provide apparatus which is aesthetically pleasing, which will contain the user thereof, and which allows the entrance of light.

Still another object of the invention is to provide apparatus which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and also to assemble at the location where the chute will be installed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the invention in one form a building escape chute is provided comprising an elongated metal chute having a plastic covering over the top thereof. The plastic covering engages the metal chute along the edges thereof in sealing engagement to prevent the entrance of smoke.

Normally the chute will be arcuate and the plastic cover will be transluscent and also arcuate. The chute and the cover may be disposed to form a generally tubular apparatus. In one form the cover may have a radius which is smaller than that of the chute and have a flange extending radially out from the center of curvature thereof. Normally the chute will have in that case a flange along each edge extending radially toward the center of curvature thereof for engagement with the flange of the cover.

The chute may be disposed with the axis thererof forming a 60 angle with respect to the side of the building on which it is mounted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING While the specifications concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which I claim as my invention, it is believed the invention will be better understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a novel apparatus in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elcvational partly broken away view to enlarge scale of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken through the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 there is shown a chute disposed on the side of building 12 and partieularly extending from the roof 14. In accordance with the invention the chute may be positioned adjacent to a window or other surface of the building. In the application shown the roof 14 has a structure 16 disposed thereon which includes a doorway 18 which is accessible from the interior of the building 12; As shown in this view the chute 10 extends from the roof 14 to the ground 20 at an angle to approximately 60. This angle may be used in the preferred form but is not essential to the invention.

The chute 10 has an arcuate metal slide 30. The metal chosen ordinarily would be either steel or aluminum. In those applications where ease of assembly at the site is particularly important and also resistance to corrosion aluminum would be the preferred metal. In other applications steel will normally be used. The slide 30 has-in the preferred embodiment flanges 32 extending radially inwardly toward the center curvature of the side 30.

The slide 30 is carried on the building 12 by a roof bracket 34 and a plurality of wall brackets 36. The brackets 34, 36 are secured to the slide 30 and the roof 14 and wall 38 by suitable fasteners 39 which may be bolts, wood screws or other well known fasteners.

The slide 30 is provided with a cover or a dome 40 which is in the preferred form a transluscent or transparent plastic material and normally is arcuate and has flanges 40 extending radially along the edges of the dome 40 in a direction away from the center of curvature thereof. The flanges 42 of the dome 40 are dimensioned and configured for engagement with the flanges 32 of the slide 30. Normally the dome 40 will be of a relatively rigid plastic material which will have a natural spring action tending to urge the dome outward into close fitting engagement with the flanges 32 of the slide 30. The surface there between normally will have a sealing material disposed thereon and fasteners (not shown) will be provided for sealing engagement therebetween. The sealing is important since it prevents the entrance of smoke. The material for the dome should be non-flammable. Ordinarily the fire will be within the building and therefore will not impinge directly on the chute 10. The plastic is accordingly preferable to metal in that it will insulate from any heat in the area. It is obviously important to select a material having a relatively high elastic limit because there may be substantial heat present. Various other alternatives will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A fire escape chute for a building comprising an elongated metal slide having an elongated solid translucent plastic covering carried over substantially the entire length of the slide. said plastic covering engaging said metal slide along the edges thereof in sealing engagement to prevent entrance of smoke.

2. The apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said slide has an arcuate cross-section and has a flange on each side extending radially toward the center of curvature of said slide.

3. The apparatus as described in claim 2 wherein said plastic covering has an arcuate cross-section and has a flange on each edge thereof extending radially away from the center of curvature thereof and interlocking under the flanges of the slide, the covering being flexed 3 4 by said interlocking of flanges to urge the interlocking dius of curvature of the slide is greater than the radius flanges into Sealing engagement of curvature of the cover. I

4. The apparatus as described in claim 3 wherein said chute is disposed with the geometric axis thereof formg ing a angle with respect to the Side of the building 5 dlally extending flanges m said plastic covermg and on which it is mounted. said slide.

5. The apparatus describing claim 3 wherein the ra- 6. The apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein ra- 

1. A fire escape chute for a building comprising an elongated metal slide having an elongated solid translucent plastic covering carried over substantially the entire length of the slide, said plastic covering engaging said metal slide along the edges thereof in sealing engagement to prevent entrance of smoke.
 2. The apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said slide has an arcuate cross-section and has a flange on each side extending radially toward the center of curvature of said slide.
 3. The apparatus as described in claim 2 wherein said plastic covering has an arcuate cross-section and has a flange on each edge thereof extending radially away from the center of curvature thereof and interlocking under the flanges of the slide, the covering being flexed by said interlocking of flanges to urge the interlocking flanges into sealing engagement.
 4. The apparatus as described in claim 3 wherein said chute is disposed with the geometric axis thereof forming a 60* angle with respect to the side of the building on which it is mounted.
 5. The apparatus describing claim 3 wherein the radius of curvature of the slide is greater than the radius of curvature of the cover.
 6. The apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein radially extending flanges join said plastic covering and said slide. 